President Donald Trump has defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris to become the United States’ 47th president, marking an extraordinary political comeback.
Follow our live coverage and updates.
Live Results
With new Trump presidency, California is in for the fight of our lives
Donald Trump has soundly won another term as president and in perhaps the most stunning part of this election, it wasn’t even that close.
As much as California is waking up to a new era of Trump power, we are also waking up to the fact that the majority of Americans do not share the values that this state holds dear: the ideas of equality; of respect for all people and our planet; of a rejection of racism and misogyny; of a desire to advance civil rights rather than roll them back in the name of Christianity.
‘Do not despair,’ Harris tells supporters as she concedes the election
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday acknowledged her defeat to President-elect Donald Trump in a speech marked by emotion as well as a resolve to never give up the fight for a more just union.
“My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve,” Harris told supporters at Howard University, her alma mater.
How both Trump and abortion access won the 2024 election
PHOENIX — Abortion access was on the ballot Tuesday and voters supported it in seven of 10 states nationwide, giving an overwhelming win for the abortion rights movement since the matter became a states’ issue after the fall of Roe vs. Wade.
But the issue’s biggest proponent on a national ticket? She couldn’t win.
Column: Political novice Ysabel Jurado celebrates on her road to Eastside history
Ysabel Jurado marched into the Highland Park hipster bar Block Party on election night dressed to impress her cheering supporters.
Hot pink power suit and heels. Fuschia satin blouse. Hoop earrings. Hair tied back with a clip. A smile as wide as the double-digit lead she had over the incumbent, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León, in early returns.
Tide shifts against criminal justice reform among California voters
In deep-blue L.A. County, the “godfather of progressive prosecutors” lost his reelection bid by more than 20 percentage points to a former Republican.
In the Bay Area, voters appear to have recalled another reform-minded district attorney. And statewide, a tough-on-crime ballot initiative passed with overwhelming support.
Four years after nationwide calls for police accountability and a reimagining of the criminal justice system led to big wins for reform candidates in California, voters dramatically reversed course Tuesday night.
California, it’s going to be OK. This is still our moment
By the time I started working as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times three decades ago, the California dystopia genre was already well established.
Three times in the early 1990s, the cover of Time magazine trumpeted the Golden State’s demise: “California: The Endangered Dream.” “California: State of Shock.” “Los Angeles: Is the City of Angels Going to Hell?”
It’s easy to see Kamala Harris’ defeat as one more loss for California, both because she is a product of the state and because so much of her political philosophy was formed here. But does fatalism blind us to what California’s role needs to be right now and what it can do to move the world forward?
At Kamala Harris’ alma mater, tears as she concedes the presidency
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris’ supporters finally heard from the vice president on Wednesday afternoon. But her address at Howard University was far from the speech they wanted, and many listened in tears.
In somber remarks delivered at the Yard, a large outdoor space on the Washington, D.C., campus, the Democratic presidential nominee said she had conceded the race to Donald Trump and urged a divided country to come together.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted — not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” said Harris, 60, a Howard alumna whose surprise candidacy began in July after President Biden announced he would not seek another term. “But hear me when I say: The light of America’s promise will always burn bright.”
Here are L.A. County’s three new members of Congress
Los Angeles County voters in deep-blue districts elected three new Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Associated Press called three congressional races in favor of Luz Rivas in the San Fernando Valley, Laura Friedman in central Los Angeles and Gil Cisneros in the San Gabriel Valley.
With Harris down, Newsom’s political stock rises again in California and beyond
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political starpower dimmed as Vice President Kamala Harris rose to the top of the Democratic party in the months before the 2024 election.
That’s all expected to change after her presidential campaign against former President Trump crashed and burned Tuesday and voters elected the Republican to a second term in the nation’s highest office.
What went wrong for Harris: Trying to ‘turn the page’ while still in office
WASHINGTON — In the end, Vice President Kamala Harris could not overcome a central contradiction: She was the “turn the page” candidate who served with Joe Biden, the oldest and one of the least popular presidents in history.
“I don’t think there necessarily was a path here for her. If you’re the vice president of an administration people want to fire, you’re way behind the eight ball to start,” said David Axelrod, former President Obama’s lead strategist.
Levi’s heir Daniel Lurie leads in early returns in heated San Francisco mayor’s race
SAN FRANCISCO — Philanthropist and Levi’s heir Daniel Lurie maintained his lead in early returns Wednesday, holding a solid edge against incumbent Mayor London Breed and three other Democrats vying in the heated race for San Francisco mayor.
But with votes still uncounted, the final results were not expected before Thursday. San Francisco’s ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to select multiple candidates by order of preference, complicates the process of quickly identifying a winner.
Donald Trump ahead in O.C. after losing in the county twice before
Donald Trump was leading in Orange County by more than 10,000 votes Wednesday night, a position that, if it holds, would hand him a victory that’s eluded him for years.
Voters in this historically GOP-dominated county rejected his first bid for the White House in 2016, selecting a Democrat — Hillary Clinton — for the highest office for the first time in 80 years. He met the same fate in 2020 with Joe Biden.
As with Trump’s last term, California will lead the liberal resistance
The last time Donald Trump was president, California led the liberal resistance to his agenda. Now it is poised to reprise the role.
In fact, as Trump’s return to power came into focus late Tuesday, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said he already had a plan to do so — that the state was “1,000% focused” and ready to fight, in court and beyond, for California’s progressive way of life.
Harris concedes to Trump, prepares to address the nation
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris conceded to Donald Trump on Wednesday in a phone call before she addressed the American people. A senior Harris aide said the vice president called Trump to congratulate him on his victory and discuss the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans.
The White House said Harris was receiving briefs and holding meetings with staff and planned to address the American people from Howard University at 4 p.m. EST.
The Republican president-elect’s victory over Harris, after an extraordinary campaign in which he was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts, was decisive: he trounced Harris in the battleground states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and maintained leads in Arizona and Nevada, although those races were not called.
As Trump secured 292 electoral votes to Harris’ 224, Democrats could not take comfort, as they did in 2016, from winning the popular vote. With more than 138 million ballots counted, Trump was on track to gain 4.8 million more votes than Harris.
Column: Trump wins and it’s a dark night for America’s soul
A convicted felon and adjudicated sex offender is returning to the White House.
A candidate who spoke of using the military against political foes and called for the summary execution of his critics will again be commander in chief.
Trump victory puts California clean air initiatives in jeopardy
Former President Trump’s return to the White House now jeopardizes a slate of California clean air rules that were intended to advance the state’s climate goals and bring it closer to complying with federal air quality standards.
In the last four years, California has adopted some of the nation’s most innovative air regulations, including a ban on new gasoline-powered car sales by 2035 and a prohibition against diesel-fueled trucks visiting state ports and railyards in 2036.
Harris concedes to Trump, according to note sent to campaign staff
California voters approve Proposition 4, the bond measure for water and environmental projects
California voters have approved a $10-billion bond measure to finance water, clean energy and other environmental projects.
Proposition 4 allocates $3.8 billion for water projects, including those that provide safe drinking water, water recycling projects, groundwater storage and flood control. An additional $1.5 billion would be spent on wildfire protection, and $1.2 billion would go toward protecting the coast from sea level rise.
Beyond the big stock market rally, what does Trump’s victory mean for the economy?
What President-elect Donald Trump says he will do and what he actually does have not always been a straight line, but if he follows through on his declared intentions for the economy, it bodes well for American corporations and high-income individuals, at least in the short term. The same cannot be said for the millions of middle-income and even lower-income voters who returned him to the White House.
And down the road, things could turn bumpy for the whole economy, with a return of higher inflation, labor shortages and slower trade and tourism driven by the new broad-based tariffs and mass deportations that Trump promised to pursue on the campaign trail. His general orientation is to pull back from globalization, which would probably have a bigger effect on more internationally dependent economies such as California‘s.
Trump elected 47th president. Harris plans to address the nation this afternoon
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, fulfilling his promise to shatter America’s political status quo after he refused to accept his loss to President Biden four years ago and inspired a mob of supporters to violently storm the U.S. Capitol.
The former president’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris — after an extraordinary campaign in which he was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts — was confirmed shortly after 5:30 a.m. EST when he secured more than 270 electoral votes after picking up the key battleground states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Trump has 277 electoral votes to Harris’ 224. He is also on track to win the popular vote, gaining more support from the American people than he did in 2016.
The Harris team has yet to comment on Trump’s win. Before noon, the White House said Harris was receiving briefs and holding meetings with staff and planned to address the American people from Howard University at 4 p.m. EST.
How Trump overcame a shooting and an unexpected rival to win a historic second term
From the moment he rode a golden escalator downward and into the queasy gut of American political life, Donald Trump has done it his way — unbridled by precedent, often powered by “alternative facts” and dedicated to the proposition that only he could “make America great again.”
The real estate mogul and onetime reality TV star captured a second term as president of the United States early Wednesday morning — nearly a decade after his now iconic entrance on the nation’s political stage. His candidacy again surmounted innumerable obstacles and defied much of a political establishment that views him with utter disdain.
Steel and Tran locked in tight race for California’s 45th Congressional District
The competitive race between Republican Rep. Michelle Steel and Democratic challenger Derek Tran for an Orange County swing district was too close to call Tuesday night, as votes continue to be counted.
Steel, 69, and Tran, 44, went head-to-head in one of the nation’s tightest contests for the U.S. House of Representatives. It was one of several House races in California with the potential to shape which party will control Congress next year.
‘Find ourselves alone’: World reacts to Trump victory
A thunderstruck world on Wednesday took in Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S presidential election, with varying expressions of jubilation, dismay or bafflement as allies and adversaries recalibrated their vision of a vastly altered American landscape.
On Ukraine’s frosty battlefields, in bustling urban cafes in Europe and Asia, on Middle Eastern street corners, there were gasps and widened eyes as the news flashed on televisions and smartphone screens. But in some quarters, a certain sense of detachment pervaded over this faraway political earthquake.
World leaders swiftly weighed in, ranging from enthusiastic congratulations to more somber and circumspect assurances of continuity in the relationship with Trump, whose mercurial first presidency upended many longstanding diplomatic norms.
Race too close to call for Calvert and Rollins in California’s 41st Congressional District
The highly competitive U.S. House race in Riverside County between Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving GOP member of California’s congressional delegation, and Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, was too close to call on election night.
Garcia and Whitesides locked in battle for California’s 27th Congressional District
The hotly contested congressional race between Republican Rep. Mike Garcia and Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff, to represent northern Los Angeles County was too close to call on election night.
The race between Garcia and Whitesides to represent California’s 27th Congressional District had been considered a toss-up and was closely watched across the country as one of several swing districts that could help determine which party wins control of the House.
Kim and Kerr locked in tight race for California’s 40th Congressional District
The race between Republican Rep. Young Kim and Democrat Joe Kerr to represent an inland Orange County district in Congress remained too close to call on Tuesday night as votes continue to be counted.
Though President Biden won California’s 40th Congressional District by a narrow margin in 2020, Republicans maintain a voter registration advantage of roughly 5 percentage points.
Control of the U.S. House is still up for grabs
Republicans have taken the White House and Senate, but the House is still very much in play.
With nearly 60 House elections still undecided, either party could gain control of the chamber. For Democrats, a House majority is the last hope of gaining a toehold in Washington and putting a check on Donald Trump’s power. Yet if Republicans win a House majority, they’ll be able to implement Trump’s agenda with more ease, including extending tax cuts, funding hardline border measures and dismantling parts of the federal government.
Still, it might take some time before House control is decided. Neither party so far has a convincing advantage in the tally of key House races. There are tight races all over the country, including many in slow-counting California.
Voters approve school repair measure and Proposition 36, reversing course on criminal justice reform
California voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to reverse course on progressive criminal justice reform, cracking down on theft crimes and the use of the deadly drug fentanyl.
Proposition 36 reforms a law approved a decade ago that reduced some felonies to misdemeanors and was seen as a milestone in California’s attempt to end the harsh tough-on-crime policies of the past.
Voters overwhelmingly approving measure to take redistricting away from L.A. politicians
According to early returns, voters were overwhelmingly supporting Charter Amendment DD, which would take redistricting — the process of creating new boundary lines for the city’s 15 council districts — out of the hands of city politicians, turning it over to an independent panel of citizen volunteers.
The proposal was first unveiled in the wake of the 2021 redistricting process, following frustration over efforts to redraw several districts in the Valley. It gained new momentum after the 2022 audio leak scandal, when three council members, including De León, and a high-profile labor leader were heard on a recording discussing ways of drawing the lines that would benefit either themselves or their allies.
In early returns, voters also were approving a companion measure, Charter Amendment LL, which would put independent redistricting in place at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Both DD and LL would go into effect in time for the next redistricting, which coincides with the release of U.S. census results in 2030.
L.A. County homeless tax ahead in early returns. Voters deadlocked on enlarging board of supes
A ballot measure aimed at enlarging the pot of money available for homeless services in Los Angeles County was ahead in early returns Tuesday night, while voters were deadlocked on another measure expanding the county Board of Supervisors.
Measure A would double the quarter-cent sales tax that voters approved in 2017 for homeless services and extend the tax indefinitely, ensuring that a major funding stream won’t dry up in a few years.
Measure G would dramatically shift power within L.A. County government, nearly doubling the size of the Board of Supervisors and creating a new ethics commission as well as a new elected executive position that functions almost like a mayor.
Proposition 33, the rent control statewide ballot measure, is rejected by California voters
California voters on Tuesday rejected an effort to allow stronger rent control laws in California, the third time such a measure was turned down in recent years.
Proposition 33 would have allowed cities and counties to pass stricter rent control laws than they can now.
Ysabel Jurado leads Councilmember Kevin de León; Hutt and Nazarian also ahead
Tenants rights attorney Ysabel Jurado held a significant lead over Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León on Wednesday in the race to represent an Eastside district, according to partial returns.
The bruising, yearlong contest pitted Jurado, a first-time candidate, against De León, a veteran lawmaker who was politically wounded by his participation in a secretly recorded conversation that featured racist and crude remarks.
California voters approve anti-crime ballot measure Prop. 36
California voters on Tuesday approved a November ballot measure that will impose stricter penalties for repeat theft and crimes involving fentanyl, steering away from recent progressive policies that critics blamed for increased lawlessness.
The Associated Press declared the passage of Proposition 36 about an hour after polls closed, an indication of the strong voter support for the measure.
Nathan Hochman wins race for Los Angeles County D.A., beating George Gascón
A tumultuous first term in office for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón ended in a failed reelection bid Tuesday night, with challenger Nathan Hochman defeating him by a wide margin.
Hochman, who polls long predicted would oust Gascón, held a commanding 23-point lead based on early returns, outpacing the progressive incumbent by more than half a million votes. Gascón called Hochman to concede early Wednesday morning.
Democrat Adam Schiff wins California’s U.S. Senate race
Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank, who rose to national prominence as a key antagonist of former President Trump, easily beat Republican and former Dodgers All-Star Steve Garvey on Tuesday night to win California’s open seat in the U.S. Senate.
The Associated Press declared Schiff, 64, the winner shortly after polls closed, an indication of the congressman’s substantial support in a state where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1.
Republicans take Senate majority from Democrats
WASHINGTON — Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate late Tuesday after flipping Democratic-held seats, holding onto GOP incumbents and wresting away the majority.
The unexpected battleground of Nebraska pushed Republicans over the top. Incumbent GOP Sen. Deb Fischer brushed back a surprisingly strong challenge from independent newcomer Dan Osborn.
Donald Trump scores decisive victory over Kamala Harris
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, fulfilling his promise to shatter America’s political status quo after he refused to accept his loss to President Biden four years ago and inspired a mob of supporters to violently storm the U.S. Capitol.
The former president’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris — after an extraordinary campaign in which he was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts — was confirmed shortly after 5:30 a . m . (EDT) when he secured more than 270 electoral votes after picking up the key battleground states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“This will forever be remembered as the day the American people regained control of their country,” Trump told a crowd at around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday from a stage adorned with star spangled banners at his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The former president declared himself the winner before most news outlets had called the race.
Trump said the election, which saw more than 137 million Americans cast ballots, represented a “historic realignment” of American interests and was a “massive victory for democracy and for freedom.”
“I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve,” he added. “This will truly be the golden age of America.”